Picking PR: Why This Major?

Freshman year of college is daunting in itself. For me, I moved eight hours away from home to a place I had visited three times total, where I knew one person in the entire state. Not to mention the fact that I was being asked what I wanted to spend my life doing. I know this is an overwhelming time for anyone which makes choosing your major difficult sometimes. This is for anyone considering majoring in public relations. And I’ll go ahead and tell you the conclusion of this blog: you should do it! Here’s why:

Truthfully I had every intention of switching to marketing once school started because I felt like I understood that field a little more than PR. However, I spent the summer doing some research and realized PR was perfect for me. Once I began taking my PR classes, I couldn’t imagine a better fit for me.

PR is the perfect combination

What I have found through my coursework over four years at Auburn is that PR is a blend of really great fields. To practice good PR you have to combine marketing, journalism, advertising, communication (both mass and interpersonal), event planning and crisis management. I am graduating college with the ability to write a press release, a PSA, assemble a media kit, pitch a story, edit with AP style, code HTML and CSS, sell a product and execute a campaign. Through our hands on projects, I have gotten to work with real clients on actual campaigns and research projects, I’ve written case studies on real crises and I’ve gotten to write articles covering a variety of topics for actual sites. Bottom line: PR is unique which makes is key to an organizations success!

PR gives you immense opportunities

At 18 years old, deciding on one thing to do with the rest of your life is terrifying. PR is a field that allows you opportunities to work in any industry. Basically every company, organization, brand and non-profit uses public relations. This is perfect for people who want to ensure they will never be “trapped” doing one thing forever. You have the choice of entering any industry. There is PR in entertainment, politics, healthcare, sports, corporate, crisis management and international business. You could be a PR rep for a Hollywood celebrity, you could coordinate a hospital’s community outreach, you could be the White House Press Secretary or you could run fundraisers for international non-profits just to name a few possibilities. Not to mention, you could stay at the same company for years but because of the diverse nature of PR work, you will never have a “typical day.” There is always something new coming up which means you will stay on your toes, ready for the next thing.

PR makes you a “people person”

When thinking about my career, I knew for a fact I wanted to interact with people. If you desire this in a job, look no further. Public relations is all about communication. Whether it’s through social media platforms to reach an audience of 3 million followers or having a strategy meeting with a client one-on-one, this job keeps you social. Engaging a public instead of just throwing information at them is what PR is about which makes it so unique and vital to any kind of company.

Overall, the thing I appreciate most about PR is that the people who do it, love it. It is refreshing to see professionals who feel so passionately about their careers and it makes me so excited to begin mine. There is so much more to be said about public relations and the program at our school so if you feel like this interests you, do your research! Talk to current students, PR practioners and your advisors. As I get ready to end my time as a student, I am so grateful I picked PR!

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Dear Freshman Year Mackenzie, So you packed everything you own and drove 8 hours from Kentucky to move into a small, plain dorm room with a total stranger for a roommate-and you couldn’t be more excited. Your parents just left and you realized for the first time that you don’t know anyone here and this […]

Freshman year of college is daunting in itself. For me, I moved eight hours away from home to a place I had visited three times total, where I knew one person in the entire state. Not to mention the fact that I was being asked what I wanted to spend my life doing. I know […]